The semi-weekly fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-10-25
MISS CRUTCHETTS PLAN.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

Incre ndd Deen little tlnkllng,
silver-bright April shower, that washed
the dark ivy-shOOts and apple geraniums
in Mabel Verinder's window, and then
turned every lingering drop to diamonds.
There had been yet another brief, spark
ling shower at the same time-the tears
that had welled suddenly up from
Mabel's heart and left sad brilliance in
her eyes.
OTIS no use," said she. ellis Aunt
Selma is right. l am no helpmate at all
for Charley. am nothing more than a
drag upon him. And, oh, I've tried so
hard to help him,''
"Oh2" said old Miss Crutchett-
what? And why should Charley be
helped? He hasn't lost the use of his
limbs or anything, has he?"
NO" unwillingly admitted Mabel.
She was just in that mood in which a
woman would rather make a martyr of
herself than not. ''But his salary is so
small! And he has to work so hard ~
ANY harder than other people?"
questioned Miss Crutchctt ''There's a
car-cOnductOr lives on our third fiat. He
has to be up at four o'clock every morn
ing, and his last trip ends at ten-forty
at night! And Philip Jones is foreman
OF, daily paper, and never goes to bed
''Oh, of course I don't mean that!"
said Mabel. ''But [ mean that he has to
work pretty steadily for a ridiculous
salary"
LA, my DEAR" said Miss Crutchett,
salaries of any sort are to be respected
nowadays. If Charley's place was vacant
YOU would find score of men striving to
get it. It's the natural consequence of
over-populatiOn in our great cities"
Yes, sighed Mabel; 'but Horace
Fontaines wife earns quite a little sum
by doing crayOn pictures. And Lucy
Weldon'S novel sold for six hundred
dollars. And Nellie TraXon embroiders
tapestry for The Young Woman's
Bureau and Mrs. Copley gets six or
seven dollars week by law copying for
her brothers firm. Why couldn't 1 do
some such thing as thatI''
Does Charley want you to-" asked
Miss Crutchett, the lenses of her spec
tacles seeming to shine like inquiring
eyes upon Mrs. Verinder
mo; but his Aunt Selma has been
saying such hOrrid meddlesome things
about my being a silly child, and Charley
having married too early, and"
''Humph" said Miss Crutchett. ''The
troubles of one half of the world come
from what the other half says"
Eyes, know" said Mabel, querulous-
ly; "but it would be so nice if | could
earn something myself! l wouldn't care
how little it was 1 painted lovely
landscape on old-gold satin last week,
and sent it to the Fine Art Exchange,
but there was no sale for it; and l
crocheted a beautiful carriage afghan,
and 1t hung in Bates's window a month,
and got all faded with sunshine and
soIled with dust, and no one so much as
asked the price of it. If only had some
sort of a marketable talentr'
My dear" good Miss Crutchett had
begun; but here she suddenly checked
herself, and added: Don't l smell
something burning in the kitchen?"
''Oh, l dare say" said Mabel, spirit
iessly. "Christine is always scOrching
something or other. Our apple-compote
was ruined for dinner yesterday, and the
chlcken-potpie couldn't be eaten on Sun
day. She destroyed a whole baking of
bread on Friday, and"
But Mrs. Verinder broke short off in
the middle of her speech and fled into
the kitchen, where a saucepan of lobster
was bubbling over on the stove, and
Christine, the jaunty Swedish house
maiden, was out in the area, Watching
the antics of a monkey who was chained
TO a hand-organ
Its too bad!'' cried Mabel, excitedly.
Its all burned to the bottom of the
pan! And Charley is so fond of lobster
bisque, too! Oh, l could cry! That
Christine isn't worth her salt!'
Little foxes spoil the grapesp" alb
stE1ctedly quoted Miss Crutchett.